Britain’s national tourist board VisitEngland has recently recruited Aardman Animations’ popular plasticine comedic duo Wallace & Gromit as official Tourism Trailblazers, in order to encourage Britons to explore more of their own country this year. The vacation season and the campaign will be kicked off by a new TV ad scheduled to air on May 12, 2013.

Aardman Animation’s preschool hit, Shaun the Sheep, will be returning to the UK small screens this month via 20 new episodes. The titular denizen of MossyBottom Farm will be kicking off his third season today, February 25 at 3:15pm on the CBBC.

The third season of Shaun the Sheep will consist of 20 x 7 minute episodes that continue to focus on Shaun and his farm buddies as they cause all sorts of mayhem and spread hilarity using visual gags and slapstick humor.

Wallace & Gromit will be starring in a brand new festive video that aims to help family and friends connect this holiday season. The duo will be appearing along with a number of other Aardman Animation characters for the first time via Google+’s Hangout feature. The other Aardman Animation characters that will make an appearance include Trixie and Captain Cuddlepuss from Creature Comforts, Shaun the Sheep, and Ginger from Chicken Run.

Fans of Wallace & Gromit who are looking for a place to visit on their vacation would do well to include Blackpool, UK’s Pleasure Beach amusement park on their itinerary, since a new Wallace & Gromit-themed family ride is scheduled to open in the park in 2013.

The Wallace & Gromit ride is called “Thrill-O-Matic,” and will take fans on a journey through the worlds of popular W & G episodes such as A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, A Matter of Loaf and Death, and A Close Shave. The ride is estimated to cost 5 million GPB (roughly $7.8 million US).

Aardman’s popular stop motion animated characters Wallace and Gromit are expected to debut a new animated short in time for the big Diamond Jubilee of the Queen celebration in the UK. Entitled Wallace & Gromit’s Jubilee Bunt-a-Thon, the short will premiere at National Trust places, which includes local property Belton House in Grantham.

The lovable duo is BACK! Wallace & Gromit are back and better than ever, in all their claymation glory. The pair returns on the USA Blu-ray and DVD debut of Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention, available March 13th. The six-part series is a collection of the BBC1 TV classic, with a number of amazing, real-world contraptions, as well as their own typical hijinx.

On January 25th, Lionsgate and HIT Entertainment will team to release Shaun the Sheep: Spring Shenanigans on DVD. The disc contains seven full length episodes of the Aardman Animation toon, including two that star Timmy. There’s also a large chunk of bonus content, like a Sheep-shearing game, a look into the Timmy Time animated series, and Timmy’s Tune #2. The claymation adventures, from the creators of “Wallace & Gromit,” star Shaun the Sheep, determined to keep his flock out of trouble, even if he has to pull the wool over the farmer’s eyes to do it. Timmy the lamb eats some fertilizer and gets supersized; Pidsley the cat disguises himself as a rampaging cheetah; and Shaun and Bitzer the sheepdog race to keep the nearsighted farmer out of danger.

If Aardman Rights has their say, they’ll make World of Invention the most popular Wallace & Gromit toon yet. They’re well on their way to doing so, penning deals with France Television and Super RTL in Germany to bring the live-action and CG animation hybrid series there. Commissioned by BBC One, Wallace and Gromit’s World of Inventions is a science show featuring Aardman’s famous claymation. Wallace will take a humorous look at the real-life contraptions, gadgets, inventors and inventions, with the silent help of Gromit. ToonBarn broke the story of Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention last October, readying the toon fanbase for the upcoming Aardman hit. As if that weren’t enough, France Televisions also picks up the four short Wallace & Gromit films. Sweet deal!

Lionsgate and Hit Entertainment have partnered together with Aardman Animations to bring Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf & Death home on DVD. The special has been nominated for the Best Short Film (Animated) Oscar, so the timing feels quite right. The disc contains a number of bonus features, including a look behind the scenes titled How They Donut, audio commentary with director and creator Nick Park, and an episode of Shaun the Sheep. You may recall, last September, A Matter of Loaf and Death was included in the Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection. That set, available on Blu-ray and on a 4-disc DVD set, also includes Wallace & Gromit shorts – A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers and A Close Shave. Take a look at the trailer

Lionsgate and Hit Entertainment are working together on the next great Wallace & Gromit DVD box set called Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Collection. The package will include all short films ever created for the two for the first time when it hits stores as a DVD and Blu-ray set, September 22nd. This includes: Wallace & Gromit in A Matter of Loaf and Death, A Grand Day Out, The Wrong Trousers, and A Close Shave. In addition to the shorts themselves, there will be a ton of bonus content, including; audio commentary from the creators (Nick Park and Aardman Animation), several featurettes, a DVD game, and bonus episode of Shaun the Sheep: Off The Baa. Even the box will be specially crafted, featuring the pair molded in 3D. Check out the box after the break!